7 St. Patrick’s Day-Themed TV Episodes
Most long-running sitcoms include special holiday-themed episodes. Christmas and Thanksgiving seem to be the most common, as they enjoy comedic tributes every year. But every once in a while, audiences are also treated to episodes featuring green beer, leprechauns and hilarious drunken mishaps.
This year, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we’re highlighting seven St. Patrick’s Day-themed episodes from some of our most-beloved sitcoms.
Read on to relive your favorite St. Paddy’s Day moments in television.
1. “St. Patrick’s Day,” The Office (Season 6, Episode 17)
“It is the closest that the Irish will ever get to Christmas.”
Don’t you just miss Michael Scott? The Office lost a bit of its magic when Steve Carell’s character left in season seven. And it wasn’t just Michael’s empty-headed comments or Dwight’s “mega desk” obsession that made this such a great episode. It’s that even in the midst of the funny, yet immature tendencies of the characters that are always on display, even then, one of the most juvenile of them, finally grows up a little. All of the hallmarks of St. Paddy’s day are present in this episode, but they help set Michael up to finally step up as a manager, in a way that is so authentically him, as a protector of the employees he cares so much for.
2. “No Tomorrow,” How I Met Your Mother (Season 3, Episode 12)
In this episode, a few of the friends in How I Met Your Mother decide to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day differently. But as in most sitcoms, things rarely go as planned. A night of G-rated board games turns into a night of tears, crooked apartments and even more crooked people. Bright side? At least this episode leaves you feeling like you’re closer to figuring out the identity of the mother of Ted’s children. Kind of.
3. “St. Patrick’s Day,” 30 Rock (Season 6, Episode 12)